3 × 3 eyes
| 3 × 3 eyes | |
|---|---|
| Original title | サ ザ ン ア イ ズ |
| transcription | Sazan Eyes |
| genre | Adventure, fantasy , romance, horror |
| Manga | |
| country |
 Japan
|
| author | Yūzō Takada |
| publishing company | Kodansha |
| magazine | Young Magazine Pirate Edition , Young Magazine |
| First publication | December 1987 - October 2002 |
| expenditure | 40 |
| Original video animation | |
| Country of production |
Japan
|
| original language | Japanese |
| Year (s) | 1991, 1992 |
| Studio | Toei animation |
| length | 30 minutes |
| Episodes | 4th |
| Director | Daisuke Nishio , Kazuhisa Takenōchi |
| music | Kaoru Wada |
| Original video animation | |
| Country of production |
Japan
|
| original language | Japanese |
| year | 1993 |
| Studio | Studio Junio |
| length | 45 minutes |
| Episodes | 3 |
| Director | Kiyoko Sayama , Kazuhisa Takenōchi |
| music | Kaoru Wada |
3 × 3 Eyes (Japanese: 3 × 3 EYES, Sazan Eyes ) is a manga series by the Japanese artist Yūzō Takada . She was in two Anime - OVAs implemented and for several video games adapted.
The work can be classified into the genres of romance , adventure , horror and fantasy .
action
In Japan in the 1980s, a rumor was circulating about a legendary people - the Sanjiyan Unkara ( 三 只 眼 吽 迦羅 ). According to legend, these three-eyed beings in human form are said to have the secret of eternal life and magical powers. To find these beings, the father of Yakumo Fuji ( 藤井 八 雲 ) travels to Tibet . There he meets the girl Pai ( パ イ ), who belongs to that mythical people, but who absolutely wants to become a person. However, he dies of exhaustion after telling Pai about his son who lives in Tokyo . So Pai travels to Japan to have her wish come true with the help of his son.
Four years later, Pai arrives in Japan and finds Yakumo. She hands him a letter from his late father, in which her mysterious origins are revealed and Yakumo is given the task of protecting the young Sanjiyan and helping her become human. At first, Yakumo is reluctant. But then Pai's guardian spirit Takuhi, a huge, bird-like creature with a human face, is accidentally released and kills Yakumo in his anger. Pai can revive him with her powers and Yakumo promises to help her. The two travel to Hong Kong to learn more about the ritual of the Incarnation.
When they arrived in Hong Kong, they met Ling-Ling Lee at the "Demon Defense Society". Through her, Yakumo learns that through his resuscitation his life is connected to the pais and he is almost immortal. But as a so-called “Wu” he is also bound to her like a slave. When he confronts her with it, it turns out that there is another, cool and calculating soul in the meek Pai, a Sanjiyan. Despite this, Yakumo wants to help Pai. In an assignment that they then accept together with Ling-Ling-Lee, the three help the rich Huang-san who is haunted by ghosts. They defend the "Ningen statue" in their possession, which Pai also needs for their incarnation. However, it turns out that other ghosts and demons are after the statue, which can bestow great power.
Back in Japan, Yakumo's friends distance themselves from him when they learn of his abilities and are afraid of them. But soon a friend of Yakumo's is kidnapped by a demon who wants to eat Pai. You can defeat him, however, and Yokumo's friends then apologize to him for their behavior. After Pai and Yakumo traveled to Hong Kong again, they were again confronted with monsters there. They want to take possession of the Ningen statue in order to awaken their master, Kaiyan Wang. Like Pai, he is a Sanjiyan, but he was banned from their community when he tried to conquer the world. After this attempt to resurrect him was thwarted with the help of Ling-Ling Lee and Huang-san, Pai went alone to their homeland to finally kill Kaiyan Wang. Yakumo travels after her to help her.
However, an accident occurs in Hong Kong and Pai loses her memory - her Sanjiyan soul is sealed. She is taken in by a Japanese couple and lives on as a normal high school student. But one day she is attacked again by monsters who are after her powers, and Yakumo also returns. In the battles, the Sanjiyan is awakened in her. This initially does a lot of damage before it can be pacified. But Pai's memories do not return - together with Yakumo she now wants to regain her lost memory.
Emergence
The title of the series, 3 × 3 eyes , arose from the fact that the author Yuzo Takada initially wanted three Sanjiyan to appear in the series. The title should refer to this. In the Japanese pronunciation of Sazan Eyes, it is also a play on words with sazan , which can mean both "three times three" and the English "southern" (German: "southern"), and an allusion to the musical group Southern All Stars . The term "Wu", with which the servants of the Sanjiyan are referred to, refers to the term from Chinese and Japanese philosophy .
publication
3 × 3 Eyes was published in Japan in individual chapters, first from December 14, 1987 to April 10, 1989 in the manga magazine Young Magazine Pirate Edition of the Kodansha publishing house. Then the series was moved because of its great success in the larger edition weekly Young Magazine of the same publisher and appeared in it from April 24, 1989 to October 2002. These individual chapters were also summarized in 40 anthologies ( Tankōbon ).
The manga was published in March 1995 in the United States by Dark Horse Comics , in Korea by Young Movie Comics and the series was published in French by Pika Edition. In Spain the manga appeared on Planeta DeAgostini Comics, but was canceled, and in Italy on Editions Star Comics.
The series was first published in German in 1997 by Carlsen Comics . Following the example of the American albums, the pages were mirrored to the western reading direction and two chapters per volume were published. Only five issues were published. From May 2002 to June 2006 Carlsen Comics published all 40 volumes of 3 × 3 eyes in the Japanese version. The translation of the first publication was done by Joachim Kaps . In Germany, the manga is recommended for ages 12+.
Anime
In 1991, the studio produced Toei Animation and directed by Daisuke Nishio and Kazuhisa Takenōchi a four-part anime - OVA entitled Sazan Eyes to manga. The plot is based on the first two volumes of the manga. The character design is by Kouichi Arai and the artistic directors were Junichi Taniguchi and Toshikatzu Sanuki. The four episodes are 30 minutes each and were released in Japan from June 1991 to February 1992.
In 1995 another three episodes followed, which were produced by Studio Junio . Directed by Kazuhisa Takenōchi and Kiyoko Sayama, the character design was created by Tetsuya Kumagai and artistic directors were Hiroshi Kato and Yusuke Takeda. The OVA, entitled Sazan Eyes: Seima Densetsu , was published in Japan from March 1995 to March 1996.
The music for all seven episodes was composed by Kaoru Wada and played by the Takada Band.
Both animes were published in English by Manga Entertainment and Orion, in French by Kaze and in Italian by Granata Press and Polygram Video. The first OVA was broadcast by the English channels Encore Action and G4TechTV Canada, the second OVA only by Encore Action.
In Germany, the anime was published as a seven-part series under the title 3 × 3 Eyes by Anime-Virtual on two DVDs.
synchronization
| role | Japanese speaker ( seiyū ) |
|---|---|
| Yakumo Fujī | Kouji Tsujitani |
| Pai Ayanokōji | Megumi Hayashibara |
| Ling-ling Li | Ai Orikasa |
| Shunkai | Toshiko Fujita |
Games
Based on the manga, seven games have been published since 1990, for PC Engine , Super Famicon , Mega-CD , PC-9801 , FM Towns , MS Windows , PlayStation and Sega Saturn .
radio play
Several radio plays have been published in Japan for the series.
reception
The manga won the 1993 Kodansha Manga Prize in the Shōnen category .
According to Animerica , the manga offers exciting reading because of the fantastic monsters and incidents. The main characters, who are unusually cast with the actually very average guy Yakumo and the ambiguous Pai, are the main attractions of the series. The mythological themes would be supported by Takada's detailed depiction of the Chinese and Tibetan artifacts and costumes.
In the Complete Anime Guide, the authors praise the film adaptation for its successful atmosphere, which is created through the interplay of a high-contrast, film noir- like depiction and characters in an eerie world in which monsters lurk around every corner. The basic theme is the search for or regaining humanity. In the Anime Encyclopedia , the anime is referred to as a “mixture of treasure hunt elements from Indiana Jones and a mythical buddy film ”. The two atypical main characters Yakumo and Pai are particularly interesting. The German fan magazine Funime writes that the anime is very bloody, but the viewer can come to terms with that over time. The drawing quality is high.
Web links
- Anime News Network for the Manga and the first and second OVA
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Animerica Vol. 8 3, pp. 23/35.
- ↑ Notes on the 2nd volume of the German edition.
- ↑ Trish Ledoux and Doug Ranney: The Complete Anime Guide . Tiger Mountain Press, Issaquah (Washington), 1995. p. 56.
- ↑ Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy: The Anime Encyclopedia. Revised & Expanded Edition . Berkeley 2006, Stone Bridge Press. P. 653 f.
- ↑ Review of the OVA by Karsten Schubert on the Funime website